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Charny, executive director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, has edited a unique encyclopedia. In addition to forewords by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Simon Wiesenthal, nearly 100 people are contributors to this work, which emphasizes events of genocide in the twentieth century. All entries are signed, and many contain selections for further reading. The front of each volume includes both a complete alphabetical list of entries and a more detailed contents list that includes contributors' names and cross-references.Content is divided into two parts. Part one, "Definitions of Genocide and the Study of Genocide," contains several fairly long essays on important concepts such as democide and the use of the word holocaust. In part two, "Genocidal Events, Intervention, and Prevention," entries are in alphabetical order, from Adana massacre (one of a series of large-scale massacres of Armenians in the early twentieth century) to Yugoslavia, genocide in. A number of the entries are biographical, for individuals ranging from Genghis Khan to Elie Wiesel. Many entries include sidebars that present supplemental and background information and verbatim texts of genocide-related documents. Each entry concludes with a short bibliography.The "How to Use This Encyclopedia" that introduces each volume suggests searching the table of contents to locate topics of interest. This is no easy task, however, because the contents list is confusing; the detailed index is a much more straightforward route to information. In addition, more attention to design details would have improved both the encyclopedia's look and its ease of use. Much of the sidebar material is not documented adequately. Attribution is either to "Press Reports" or to individuals, with no citations for specific news sources, speeches, books, articles, etc.These flaws notwithstanding, the encyclopedia contains a myriad of information about an important topic, and Charny is to be commended for his effort. Despite the problems, this resource is recommended for academic libraries and libraries where research includes the Holocaust and other genocide. The reading level, cost, and arrangement make it most suitable for larger collections.

ANNOTATION

Alphabetical entries define names, places, and events associated with genocide, and major sections deal with the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the process, detection, denial, and prevention of genocide.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The ethnic cleansing in Kosovo is a dreary reminder of a long tradition. Genocide, from ancient times to the present day, has a worldwide history. It is hard to write about the subject with dispassion.

The Encyclopedia of Genocide is the first reference work to chart the full extent of this horrific subject with objectivity and authority. The Nazi Holocaust; the genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia; and the eradication of indigenous peoples around the world are all covered in A-to-Z entries, written by almost 100 experts from many countries.

Among those who have contributed to the Encyclopedia are such authorities as Elie Wiesel, Robert Lifton, Simon Wiesenthal, Michael Berenbaum, Yehuda Bauer, and Jacobo Timmerman.

Coverage spans perpetrators and victims of all known genocides: treatment of survivors the bewildering variety of definitions of genocide detection, investigation, and prevention psychology and ideology the often contentious literature on the subject scholars and organizations the important and controversial topic of genocide denial

Special features: 200+ entries, each with leads to further information 90+ scholarly contributors from around the world Numerous primary source documents Comprehensive coverage of all known genocides Wide array of scholarly viewpoints Sidebars that place a human face on genocide's destruction and pain Full index

FROM THE CRITICS

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